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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- Being the WNBA's best team in the
regular season, including three victories over Houston, didn't get
the Los Angeles Sparks where they wanted to go.
|  | | Houston's Cynthia Cooper shoots the ball as Lisa Leslie defends Sunday. |
Instead, the Comets advanced to their fourth consecutive WNBA
finals Sunday with a 74-69 victory over the Sparks, whose 28-4
regular-season record led the league.
"We stepped it up a level and we were able to beat a very good
team on their home court," said Cynthia Cooper, who scored 29
points. "It was a tough game. We were felt we were underdogs."
That's a role the Comets have rarely played during their four
years in the WNBA. They've won three league championships and will
go for a fourth beginning Thursday against New York, a 81-67 winner over Cleveland in the Eastern Conference title game Monday night.
"Hopefully, they'll beat up on each other," said Houston's
Sheryl Swoopes, who was held to eight points after being sick
before the game.
Playing one year and one day after her teammate and close friend
Kim Perrot died of cancer, Cooper rallied the Comets to a 2-0
series victory after winning Game 1 by 21 points in Houston.
"This was a huge win for us," Swoopes said. "I don't think we
thought about what happened in the regular season. We felt we could
beat them in the playoffs."
Swoopes began vomiting after arriving at the Forum, then got
dizzy and had a headache.
"There was never a question I wasn't going to be out there,"
she said.
Janeth Arcain added 18 points for the Comets, including their
final five. Her running jumper snapped a 69-all tie with 39 seconds
remaining. She then made three of four free throws to close out the
game.
"Arcain is a star in Brazil and comes here and plays any role
she has to," Cooper said.
Mwadi Mabika led the Sparks with 19 points and Tamecka Dixon
added 17, while Lisa Leslie had 12 points and 14 rebounds.
"I loved our effort," said Sparks coach Michael Cooper, who
was honored as WNBA coach of the year before the game. "There were
some things that we could have done, some shots that didn't go in
that normally fall, but that's the way it goes."
In their deathly quiet locker room, several Sparks players
covered their heads with their hands. Houston coach Van Chancellor
dropped in and silently shook hands with the Sparks.
"We feel like we did a great job this year and we just really
lost to a very good team," Leslie said. "We followed what we
needed to for Sheryl and Cynthia to distribute the ball to other
players and the other players played well. They took shots they
normally don't take and made shots they normally don't make."
Until the final seconds, neither team led by more than four
points in the second half of a game played in front of 13,884
raucous fans at the Forum.
"Their fans showed up and tried to make a difference and almost
did," Chancellor said. "This is a great win for us, especially
after they won all three games. That's the happiest I've seen them
in the locker room. I don't know if they were that happy after we
won the championship."
Trailing by four points, the Comets scored seven straight points
to take a 67-64 lead with 3:42 remaining. Swoopes hit a 3-pointer --
only her third basket of the game -- Tammy Jackson scored inside and
Cooper scored on a fastbreak driving layup.
Dixon hit her second straight 3-pointer to tie the game at 67.
Cooper had a behind-the-back pass stolen by Dixon, who then missed.
Cooper scored easily when the Sparks were slow getting back on
defense for a 69-67 lead. Allison Feaster tied the game once more,
but the Sparks didn't score in the final minute.
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ALSO SEE
WNBA Scoreboard
Comets, Liberty battle a third time for WNBA title
Liberty knock out Rockers behind 30-2 run
RECAPS
New York 51
Cleveland 45
Houston 74
Los Angeles 69
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